British explorer Mark Evans and his team arrived at the historic Shoubra Palace in the Saudi governorate of Taif, coming from the heart of the desert, where he spent nearly 13 consecutive days on foot, and more than 700 kilometers across the desert. The exploring team toured the courtyard of the palace and the horse stable, next to which there are places for palace services such as rooms for cooking, perfumery, sewing, goldsmiths, catering and the centralized call control. They expressed their happiness with what they saw of the original architectural art, geometric shapes and decorations above its walls, as well as the lighting that was designed to illuminate the corridors in a way that hangs from the horizon, in addition to its wooden doors and windows made in authentic Arab style. Shoubra Palace is situated in the city of Taif, and it took two consecutive months to build it in 1323 Hijri (1905), as its design was inspired by one of the palaces erected in Shoubra district of Cairo, Egypt at the time. Shoubra Palace's style was designed by mixing between the Islamic and Roman styles, and the traditional styles of architecture in Hejaz region, as a style in Islamic architecture in arches, columns, ruashin, doors, windows, and ceilings. The palace includes approximately 150 rooms, and it has two entrances: the main one on the western side, and the sub-entrance on the eastern side. It also has 4 similar facades interspersed with columns made of light and stone and a main hall that includes a double staircase of alabaster that ascends to the two suites on the upper floor, which contain rooms of various sizes. The palace windows and doors, they are made of wood decorated with artistic touches. Also, the palace was the seat of Saudi Arabia's government when it moved to Taif in the summer during the reign of late King Abdul Aziz. During the reign of late King Faisal, Shoubra Palace became the seat of the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, then it was turned into a museum of antiquities and heritage in 1408 Hijri (1987). — SPA
